Meet the Common Sense Coalition — the bipartisan group of senators who ended the government shutdown

The Common Sense Coalition celebrates after the Senate voted to reopen the government on Monday.Mark Wilson/Getty Images

When the federal government reopened on Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's deal to put off immigration negotiations in favor of a short-term spending plan took center stage — but a bipartisan group of centrist senators were celebrating their own victory.

The moderate group, who call themselves the Common Sense Coalition, came together for a series of meetings behind the scenes. Led by Republican Sen. Susan Collins, they were able to successfully create the united front needed to push the leaders of the two parties together to finalize a deal.

Whether this centrist coalition will last is unclear. But for the time being, these compromise-minded lawmakers are helping pave the way for bipartisan dealmaking in an age of intractable political tribalism.

Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, led the coalition meetings in her office, and used a tribal Masai talking stick to maintain order and facilitate cordial discussion. Fellow senators described her office as "our little Switzerland."

Collins poses with the colorfully beaded "talking stick" she and other members used to negotiate in her office and broker a deal to end the government shutdown on January 22, 2018.AP Photo/Alan Fram